Price Consideration
Whilst price is nearly always a key driving force (pardon the pun!) there are many other considerations you may wish to think about. Prices range from under $20 to $500 or more for a product such as the Festoon 564247 with multiple chucks.
What do you want to use a cordless drill for?
The cordless drill enables you complete flexibility in where you use your drill and does not have the inherit safety hazard of a lengthy cable continually wrapping itself round your legs! No on-site transformers required on industrial sites. The sort of work you anticipate undertaking with your cordless drill should help define the sort of product you want. In very simple terms the lower the voltage then the lower the power available and generally the lower the price though this is not always the case. I remember the first battery drill I purchased and it was more expensive than a corded product and not as powerful but I bought my drill. I think I even paid extra for a faster charger. When I eventually needed a new battery it was then cheaper to buy a more powerful brand new drill than to buy a new battery for the older model.
Why do you want a battery operated, cordless drill?
The type of work you have in mind will almost certainly define the product
selection and well try and define a number of categories.
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Low use and light work. You are maybe a do it you-selfer with the occasional smaller project to undertake. Perhaps to put up some shelves in the garage, replace some fencing in the garden etc. You could well be a professional and need an extra tool just for the smaller jobs. You may not even require a cordless drill but rather a cordless screwdriver. As an occasional screwdriver there are a number of products frequently 4.8 volt, 7.2 volt or 9.6 volt which will complete the task adequately equally a 12 to 14.4 volt product will make light work of almost any job. The lower voltage products will not weigh as much and be smaller so may have some considerable benefits if you are working in confined spaces. |
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You may want a general purpose drill and driver one product for all the jobs you are likely to undertake. You dont envisage heavy duty drilling work example drilling holes into concrete lintels or through heavy steel or maybe just a large number of big screws to be driven home. All these tasks take energy from your drill and you may quickly need a re-charge or change of battery. Heres another tip when comparing products some of the more expensive products do include 2 x batteries and a fast battery charger. Some of the lower cost products may have a single battery which takes 4-5 hours to recharge. Depending on the manufacturer you could find the ideal product in this category with perhaps a 12 volt DeWalt cordless out performing an 18 or 24 volt cordless drill from less well known manufacturers (frequently a brand name for a large store). Again you may well wish to consider a low cost corded drill for the tough jobs and a low cost 18 or 24 volt cordless drill for the remainder of your tasks. You also need to consider chuck sizes (i.e. how big a drill can be used). Some units may have a 1/4 (6mm) chuck whereas the norm would probably be 3/8 (9mm). A corded drill would often have a (12mm chuck).
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Perhaps the last category is the top of the range type products from any manufacturer. These will incorporate many of the latest features and technologies. Many of these top end drill use the SDS (** see below) means of holding your drill bit in place which will prevent the drill from slipping in the chuck when substantial loads are applied. Many of these bigger drills will have means of suppressing vibration great for working on longer jobs. ** SDS - Whilst looking at SDS cordless drills I deided to look up SDS and here are the results. The name SDS comes from the German steck, dreh, sitzt (insert, twist, fits). German-speaking countries may use Spannen durch System (Clamping System), though Bosch uses Special Direct System for international purposes. |
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Conclusion
There are many, many choices when selecting a cordless drill I hope the above helps. You can follow any of the links and compare products. You can also take a look at factory reconditioned cordless drills which would probably help you get more power for you buck. Some of the leading brands have direct links i.e.
Milwaukee cordless drills but just follow any of the links and browse through 100+ manufacturers (not all drills!). You may have a specialist requirement for say an angled cordless drill or driver.
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